Background: Overview The UMSOM/UMES EXPORT Center's Community Outreach Information Dissemination (COID) Core's mission is to integrate the Center into Maryland communities as a disease prevention and health and science education resource. The Core will provide leadership and serve as a catalyst for community capacity enhancement, development and dissemination of culturally appropriate disease prevention and health promotion information based on community needs and guided by the Research Cores' expertise. The Core's goal is to reduce and eventually eliminate health disparities among Maryland communities (the under-represented minorities [racial/ethnic, income-based], the underserved, and the rural and urban - hereafter "targeted communities") as bench-marked in the NCMHD's mission and Healthy People 2010 leading indicators for risk reduction behaviors and treatment patterns for cancer, renal diseases, mental health, clinical trials accrual, and diet/nutrition and tobacco use behaviors - hereafter "Research Cores" expertise". The Core's five-year plan is to: (a) develop new and reinforce existing community-based partnerships within the targeted communities; (b) develop evidence-based and theory-driven best practice guidelines and educational materials; (c) disseminate information through awareness and focused educational campaigns to health care providers and the targeted communities; (d) serve as an information repository; (e) sponsor K-12 science education; (f) evaluate impact of the information dissemination efforts in changing knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The Core's specific aims are directly related to its and the EXPORT Centers" mission..."to integrate the Center into the various Maryland communities as a disease prevention and health and science education resource." The Core addresses the Center's Specific Aim Two ... "to promote and expand the ability of collaborating institutions to foster, coordinate and conduct evidence-based, culturally appropriate community outreach and dissemination."